Forensic Engineering Analysis Of head Impact From Falling Picture Frame

Abstract

This Paper Will Examine The Effect Of An Oak Picture Frame That Was Wall Mounted Around A Flatcreen Television. The Frame Fell From The Flat Screen Television Down 6 Inches Onto A Fireplace Mantel,Nd Then Rotated Away From The Wall, And The Upper Edge Of The Frame Struck The Plaintiff On The Head.He Plaintiff Was Sitting On An Ottoman In Front Of The Fireplace Facing Away From The Fireplace And Wasot Aware Of The Impending Impact. Plaintiff Sued The Premisesowner, Claiming Various Head, Neck Andental Injuries. An Engineering Analysis Was Performed To Assess The Magnitude Of The Force Applied Tolaintiff Neck With An Analytical Model Which Was Developed To Check The Analysis Claimed By The Opposingxpert Biomechanical Engineer. The Writer, Not A Biomechanical Engineer, Analyzed The Magnitudef The Compressive Neck Loading. The Writer Developed A Head-Neck Model That Was Utilized In Thenalysis. The Neck Was Modeled As A Spring; The Head A Sphere; The Neck-Spring Was Mounted On A Rigidlatform, I.E., The Shoulder. Based On Research, Ranges Of Spring Constants Were Estimated For The Neck.He Writer Settled On A Maximum And Minimum Neck Spring Constant With Correlating Damping. Thessue In The Case For The Writer Was The Magnitude Of The Force Applied To The Head And Neck And Whetherhat Force Was Sufficient To Cause The Injuries Claimed By The Plaintiff. The Bio-Mechanical Engineeringssues Are Addressed In The Corresponding Paper By Jon O. Jacobson, Ph.D., P.E. The Case Went Throughany Pre-Trial Discussions And Scheduling, Along With The Deposition Of The Writers Which Were Taken Bylaintiff Attorney. A Formal Written Report Was Not Prepared. Mathcad Calculations With Sidebar Explanationsere Prepared And Supplemented With An Oral Report To The Clients. As A Result Of The Analysis, Thease Settled At The Eleventh Hour Prior To Trial